"Contrary to popular belief, most men aren’t necessarily proud of the 'lad’ status given to them by their mates if they sleep around," Grants says.

"Though it might appear that way, deep down they fear the potential backlash from their fathers, irrespective of whether they have a history of cheating themselves."

Affectionate mother and daughter in kitchen (Image: Getty Images)

Here are some statistics from the study:

- 66 per cent of female respondents said they felt like they had "permission" to cheat because their mothers had done.

- 86 per cent of men said they would stop an affair if their father found out and asked them to.

- Of the men and women who agreed that cheating was immoral and trust in relationships is paramount, 83 per cent of men and 89 per cent of women admitted that getting down out of town was "not necessarily acceptable or morally correct".

Illicit Encounters has around 100,000 active users and used its members to conduct the survey.